Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptom DurationTreatment DurationTreatment OptionsOngoing SymptomsRisk FactorsPreventing STIs
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptom Duration
Treatment Duration
Treatment Options
Ongoing Symptoms
Risk Factors
Preventing STIs
Gonorrhea is spread through sexual contact with an infected person. Symptoms include painful urination, urethral discharge, rectal bleeding, rectal soreness, vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, and rectal discharge. However, many people with gonorrhea do not have symptoms.
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Gonorrhea symptoms can clear up quickly—often in as few as two to four days. In most patients, symptoms are typically gone within one week of beginning treatment. Symptoms may clear faster in males than females.
It may take symptoms longer to resolve if there is a co-occurring infection with bothgonorrhea and chlamydia.
It is unlikely that your body will clear gonorrhea on its own, and symptoms are likely to remain until the infection is treated.
Untreated gonorrhea can cause several health complications. Whilegonorrhea is treatableat all stages, the health complications that can occur, such as scar tissue development, may require additional treatment.
How long treatment lasts depends on the type and route of medication your provider prescribes. For example, they may prescribe oral antibiotics that are taken for several days. Or, treatment may be short, requiring only one injection of an antibiotic given in the healthcare provider’s office.
Your healthcare provider can help you understand your treatment options to determine the right one.
During Treatment
During treatment, avoid any sexual activity for seven days after treatment ends and after symptoms go away. This is to prevent spreading the STI to other people.
Additionally, partners of an individual who tested positive for gonorrhea should also be treated or tested. If their exposure was within 60 days of symptom onset, the partner may receive presumptive treatment instead of waiting for a potential exposure to test positive.
If the potential exposure was greater than 60 days from symptom onset in the partner, then a provider may choose to performSTI testingfirst.
Since gonorrhea often occurs with other STIs, such as chlamydia, your healthcare provider may test you for additional STIs and treat them as indicated.
2:22Click Play to Learn About the Symptoms of Gonorrhea
2:22
Click Play to Learn About the Symptoms of Gonorrhea
If someone has acephalosporinsensitivity, high-dose azithromycin with gentamicin is recommended.
Gonorrhea infection in the throat can be difficult to treat. Therefore, the CDC recommends that anyone with throat or oral gonorrhea return in seven to 14 days after the first treatment for a follow-up test.
If you test positive for gonorrhea, talk with your healthcare provider about re-testing in three months. This is done to ensure an infection has cleared or to detect reinfection.
Side Effects
Aceftriaxoneshot, the most common treatment for gonorrhea, is a cephalosporin antibiotic. The most common side effects include:
Antibiotic resistancehas been an ongoing problem with gonorrhea treatment. Resistance means that the gonorrhea bacteria has changed over time to adapt to antibiotics, sometimes making it harder to clear.
Gonorrhea treatment typically relieves symptoms within one week.Contact a healthcare provider if you continue to have symptoms three to five days after treatment.Continued symptoms could indicate that the treatment didn’t work.
Risk Factors of Untreated or Undertreated Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea may not disappear because of failed treatment or reinfection. A healthcare provider will determine the best next steps if treatment is unsuccessful. Anyone can be reinfected if they have sexual contact with someone who has gonorrhea.
If gonorrhea goes untreated or does not respond fully to medication, it can cause serious health issues, such as:
The CDC lists several ways toprevent STIs. STI prevention measures include:
Summary
Adequate treatment typically resolves gonorrhea symptoms within a week. If symptoms persist three to five days after treatment, or you have concerns about your treatment, contact a healthcare provider for advice.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea.Ayinde O, Ross JDC.Time to resolution of genital symptoms for uncomplicated gonorrhoea: a prospective cohort study.Sex Transm Infect. 2021;97(5):368-374. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2020-054626Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonococcal infections among adolescents and adults.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea treatment and recovery.UpToDate.Treatment of uncomplicated Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections.MedlinePlus.Ceftriaxone injection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea.Ayinde O, Ross JDC.Time to resolution of genital symptoms for uncomplicated gonorrhoea: a prospective cohort study.Sex Transm Infect. 2021;97(5):368-374. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2020-054626Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonococcal infections among adolescents and adults.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea treatment and recovery.UpToDate.Treatment of uncomplicated Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections.MedlinePlus.Ceftriaxone injection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea.Ayinde O, Ross JDC.Time to resolution of genital symptoms for uncomplicated gonorrhoea: a prospective cohort study.Sex Transm Infect. 2021;97(5):368-374. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2020-054626Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonococcal infections among adolescents and adults.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea treatment and recovery.UpToDate.Treatment of uncomplicated Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections.MedlinePlus.Ceftriaxone injection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea.
Ayinde O, Ross JDC.Time to resolution of genital symptoms for uncomplicated gonorrhoea: a prospective cohort study.Sex Transm Infect. 2021;97(5):368-374. doi:10.1136/sextrans-2020-054626
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonococcal infections among adolescents and adults.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gonorrhea treatment and recovery.
UpToDate.Treatment of uncomplicated Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections.
MedlinePlus.Ceftriaxone injection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
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